كُفْرَ

4:154.

Important Words:

سواء (right) is derived from سوی. They say سوی الرجل i.e. his affairs became straight and well. سواء means: (1) the central portion of a thing; (2) equal. سواء السبیل means, the straight or right portion of a way; or a straight or right way (Lisan & Aqrab).

Commentary:

This verse mentions another artifice which the Jews employed to overthrow the mission of the Holy Prophet. They asked him absurd and silly questions as had no bearing on religion. This they did to inoculate Muslims with the same spirit of stupid questioning, so that their hearts might gradually become estranged from the dignity of faith and give way to doubt. In warning Muslims against such a course, the Quran points out that the Jews had ruined themselves by putting similar questions to Moses, and that the Muslims should, therefore, beware of following their evil example. In fact, unnecessary and irrelevant questions in religious matters eventually lead one to loss of faith, for they tend to degrade religion to a plaything or a piece of idle philosophy.

As to the nature of questions put to Moses by the Israelites, the Quran refers to one in 4:154. Says God: The People of the Book ask thee to cause a Book to descend on them from heaven. They asked Moses a greater thing than this; they said, 'Show us Allah openly.' then a destructive punishment overtook them because of their transgression. Then they took the calf for worship after clear Signs had come to them, but We pardoned even that. And We gave Moses manifest authority. This verse gives us an indication as to the nature of the questions that were put to Moses, and Muslims are forbidden to put such questions to their Prophet.

5:112; 61:15.

Important Words:

الحواریون (disciples) is the plural of حواری (a disciple) which is derived from حار which means, he or it returned; or he became perplexed. حار الثوب means, he washed the cloth and rendered it white. حواری means: (1) one who whitens clothes by washing them, i.e. a washerman; (2) one who has been tried and found to be free from vice or fault; (3) a person of pure and unsullied character; (4) one who advises or counsels or acts honestly and faithfully; (5) a true and sincere friend or helper; (6) a select friend and helper of a Prophet; (7) a relation. The disciples of Jesus were called حواریون because they helped him in his work, or because they were white or pure of heart, or because they made the hearts of other people white and pure by their noble teachings and good example, or (as some have thought) because some of them were washermen by profession (Lane, Aqrab & Mufradat). The Quran has used the word in the sense of helpers, as the words that follow indicate.

Commentary:

In this verse, the Quran has cleared the disciples of Jesus of the serious lapses ascribed to them in the Gospels. They were sincere helpers in the cause of God, believing in the mission of Jesus and making no secret of their faith.

The word حواری as explained under Important Words above, signifies a reliable helper and disciple of a Prophet. From an authentic saying of the Holy Prophet, the word appears to have also been once applied by him to one of his trustworthy and distinguished Companions, Zubair bin ‘Awwam, who, on an occasion of great danger, went alone boldly in the enemy camp during an extremely cold and dark night and brought back necessary information (Bukhari).

2:17, 87; 14:29.

Commentary:

As in the preceding verse, the word Allah in the clause, cannot harm Allah, stands either for the cause of Allah or for the Holy Prophet and the believers, because God is evidently above being harmed. The expression has been used to show that those who try to do harm to Islam or to the Holy Prophet and his followers, really try to do harm to God Himself, for the obvious reason that the cause of the Holy Prophet or that of Islam is the cause of God Himself.

3:29; 4:140,145; 9:16; 58:23.

Commentary:

This verse deals with that class of idolaters who were actively hostile to Islam and strove hard to exterminate it. They had declared war on innocent Muslims, and such was their hatred of Islam that they even disregarded the ties of relationship with a view to harming them. It was with such implacable enemies of Islam that Muslims were forbidden to make friends, for such an act on their part would have amounted to treachery to Islam and would certainly have done it incalculable harm. As for other disbelievers who were not at war with Muslims, the Quran exhorts Muslims to be benevolent and kind to them (see 60:9,10). As a matter of fact, Islam attaches greater importance to the spiritual welfare of man than to his material well-being, and it is evident that friendly relations with men who prefer disbelief to faith are bound to exercise a baneful influence on spiritual growth.

4:125; 10:10; 16:98; 20:113.

Important Words:

کفران (disregard) is noun-infinitive fromکفر . They say کفر بنعمة اللّٰه i.e. he disregarded the favour of God with ingratitude and forgot it. کفران is contrary to شکر (gratitude). کفر بکذا means, he declared that he had absolutely no connection with such a one (Aqrab). See also 2:7,29.

Commentary:

The previous verse dealt with the rejecters of truth; this one deals with the believers.

6:165; 35:19; 53:39.

Commentary:

شکر as explained elsewhere (14:8) denotes the proper use of Divine favours in a manner intended by God. کفر is the misuse of those favours. It is the proper or improper use of God-given powers, faculties, and of Divine favours, blessings and opportunities which is called شکر (thankfulness) or کفر (ingratitude) in the Quran.

6:109.

Commentary:

The verse continues the general theme of the Surah, the immediately preceding verse constituting a necessary parenthesis. In the earlier verses the Muslims were enjoined to give unquestioning obedience to the Holy Prophet and to show respect to him which befitted his station as God’s great Prophet. In this verse they are told that the Prophet would seek their counsel in matters concerning them but he should not be expected to follow their advice as he received guidance from on high and because also his was the final responsibility, and their judgement, at best, might be defective. It was enough for them that God, through His Grace, "has endeared faith to you."